Der 2. Quartalsbericht

Quarterly Report
Dezember 2012 – February 2013

I.          Description of the city

Since half a year I can call my new home Busia. This is a town in East Uganda, settled near to the boarder to Kenya. The District where Busia is in has the same name. In Kenya there is also the town Busia, Kenya. In the supermarkets in whole Uganda you get aware of many goods from Kenya. Therefore Busia is full of traffic because of many trucks coming from Kenya, which want to cross the boarder.
At the beginning of my time in Busia I could not imagine to organize mysef in this town. But after a time I recognized that there is just one main street. The main street from Busia/Kenya boarder up to the main crossing is called Custom Road. The main street from main crossing up to the direction Kampala is called Jinja Road. So if you want to reach the next towns like Iganga, Jinja, Kampala you just follow Jinja Road all the time.
Than you find the other streets Majanji Road, which goes in direction to Lake Victoria. And Tororo Road, which goes up to Tororo, than Mbale, Kumi...
Not different to other Ugandan cities the streets are full of small supermarkets, mobile phone shops, markets for food and clothes, restaurants and many schools. There are more than 100 schools just in Busia town. Around Busia town there are many villages.

II.        Description of the work station

Simon and me are the first generation who was working at the new Red Cross Busia Branch since the arrival. The other Branch is still a workplace, where we have shifted to at the moment. But we are supposed to go back to the new Branch at Tiira Road, which is there since some years. The building is very big. There is on one hand the Conference Hall and on the other hand the office for the Branch Manager; also some latrines and a small office next to the office of the Branch Manager. The Conference Hall includes a stage, so that you can use this place for events.
Then the Branch includes a really big compound. Unfortunately without a fence; so the Branch is not a safe place to store computers or other stuff.
The old Branch/ Guesthouse has two offices, guestrooms, a kitchen, a big garden with latrines and a hall. The compound is fenced and has a big gate. Therefore the offices are equipped with some computers. Unfortunately since many months the old Branch Manager could not manage to pay the bills, what means there is now power for a long period of time. We all hope that this will change soon.
Just like I said, we are now working at the old Branch/ Guest House. Since the 11^th of February Lawrence was announced as the Branch Focal Person, what means that he replaces our old Manager Walimba Sophart, who was transferred as Programe Officer to Soroti.  Together with Lawrence many old volunteers and First Aiders returned to the Guest House, including Catherine Alemura, who will continue working as the Branch accountant. Until now I could not get a good overview about all those new/ old volunteers and First Aiders, because they are all new faces to Simon and me.
In Lumino, this is a small town between Busia and Lake Victoria, where we have a Red Cross Sub-Branch. Joseph Kadett is the Sub-Branch Manager and he also participated at the orientation days in Mukono and is coming some days in the month to Busia Branch. Unfortunately we can’t work activly together with the Sub-Branch, because there is a lack of transport.

Guest House/ Branch

[Fotos]

III.       Description of Red Cross activities at Busia Branch

Giving First Aid at events
Since we live in Busia, there were three big events in Busia town organized by government. There was an event called Children Youth Day, the celebration of Independence of Uganda for 50 years and a fundraising function where also the current President Museveni attended. Red Cross is usually invited by the government to take part at those events as the First Aid-team.

Condom Distribution
Red Cross Busia Branch receives condoms once a week from another organization called Y.E.S/ Horizont 3000. We use our bikes to put on a big package full of male and female condoms. We walk through the whole town in Busia. There were many condom dispensers at video halls or other places. But with the time they got spoiled or someone has stolen them. Then you give them directly to the people. For example the Boda-drivers are important clients.

Dissemination
We visit Primary and Secondary Schools to inform them about Uganda Red Cross.
We tell about the history of the foundation of Red Cross, history of the Red Cross Emblem, the benefits, how to join and the principles.

Membership Recruitment/ Photographing members/ Distribution of Membershipcards

The students who decided to join Red Cross will be photographed by us.  Than for a small fee they will get a identification card of Red Cross, which are produced at the headquarter in Kampala.

Tip-Taps
Red Cross builds up a Tip Tap for preventing sickness caused by bacterias from the latrines.
For this we visit villages or several schools, we explain them the idea of a Tip-Tap and tell them what kind of material they have to organize (a jerikan, sticks out of wood, a strick and stones). As you can see you don’t need money to get these materials, so for everyone it is possible to have a Tip-Tap.

Friday-Review-Meeting

Every Friday the Branch Manager and the volunteers sit together to talk evaluate the last week. After that we do a workplan for the following week. This workplan includes the activity, the time, the venue and the responsible persons.

Chicken-Project
The chickenproject is the first project organized by Simon and me. With donations we builded up a chickenshelter at the compound of the old Red Cross Branch. Unfortunately our first project failed. We paied for ten ‘basic chicken’ in the end, we received just the half. Than we were maybe cheated that those chicken were not treated (but the treatment was in the price included), we did not know, but in the end three of those five chicken died. Now we gave the two chicken to a family in the village, who we see as very responsible and reasonable, because they also take a good care on the Tip-Tap.
But at least those two chicken can produce proganies, which can be given out to other vulnerable families.

Office work
We spend the time at the office at the Red Cross Branch. You can use this time to share and discuss some ideas with the other volunteers, to write reports or proposals for new projects.

Community Service
We go to a public venue, for example a school to help cleaning the compound. For that activity are also coming many volunteers who are not joining Red Cross activities regular.

Elections in Kenya
On Monday, the 4^th of March there were the elections in Kenya. Therefore the ICRC (International Community of Red Cross) came from Kampala to give a training to Busia Branch about the elections. We learned how to deal with the situation if it comes to refugee-camps in Busia, Uganda. We are supposed to do interviews with unaccompanied children (children under 18 years without any relatives (biological or non-biological).
We have to registrate them that the ICRC is able to trace for family members.

Road Safety Campaign
We arrange a date with the headmaster of Primary Schools. If the day is coming, we teach students in how to behave on the road/ street and we talk with them about dangers on the road.
(How to cross a street, how to ride a bicycle, how to react on several situations on the road, etc.)

IV.       Personal situation

Still after half a year I can say that Busia is a nice, smart and small town in East Uganda. But when I visit bigger towns like Jinja or Mbale, I wish I would have decided to live in a town like this, because there are more possibilities to spend your free time in a good way. Also because of many problems with the old Branch Manager and volunteers, I somehow lost the motivation for doing some good work. But now we can face a new situation with a new ‘Manager’ and new people to work with, so I hope I can motivate myself and get some motivation from the Manager and volunteers to do good work in the remaining months.
With the time you get the feeling that the end of ten month in Uganda is coming very soon what makes me kind of sad. Even when I really learned to be aware of all those luxuries we have in Germany, I know that I will miss the people in Uganda, their lifestyle and the freedom you have here. I also got so many friends from the German Red Cross and all over the world, who are making the stay in Uganda more easily.
My roommate Simon and I still get along very well, so that sometimes we can help us to motivate ourselves, when the situation of the Branch seemed to be so bad.

Contacts:
Branch Focal Person
Mangina Lawrence: +256779468228


Compiled by:
Victoria Winkler

victoria.winkler@gmx.de

Uganda Red Cross Society Busia Branch
Plot 44 Samia Bugwe Road
P.O. Box 30 Busia Uganda